Modern apes may have swung into existence in North Africa or the Middle East. The discovery expands the earliest ancestry of primates like gibbons, chimpanzees and humans beyond East Africa. “The entire story [of early ape evolution] was told by only a small corner of the continent,” she says. Their findings suggest that early apes may have evolved in North Africa or the Middle East and moved into Eurasia, with some populations migrating back into Africa. Other countries in North Africa, including Morocco, Tunisia and Libya may contain early apes yet to be unearthed, she adds.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 27, 2026 14:14 UTC